Safety apparatus for surgical occluding and cutting device

Abstract

A safety mechanism for use in apparatus which applies two spaced apart surgical clips to body tissue and cuts the tissue between the clips. The safety mechanism prevents the tissue from being cut if two clips are not properly positioned in the apparatus for application to the tissue.

I claim: 
     
       1. In a surgical instrument for ligating and dividing an organic structure, said instrument having two spaced apart channels, each adapted to dispense a ligature from a dispensing location thereon, and cutting means intermediate said channels, the improvement comprising safety means operatively connected to both of said channels for detecting the presence or absence of a ligature at the dispensing location of each of said channels, said safety means being directly engageable with said cutting means for allowing cutting of the organic structure only when the safety means detects a ligature at the dispensing location of each of said channels. 
     
     
       2. The surgical instrument for ligating and dividing in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cutting means is a cutting blade adapted to divide a tubular vessel. 
     
     
       3. The surgical instrument for ligating and dividing in accordance with claim 2 wherein said safety means inhibits dividing of a tubular vessel when a ligature is absent from the dispensing location of either one of said channels. 
     
     
       4. The surgical instrument for ligating and dividing in accordance with claim 3 wherein said ligatures are adapted to be absorbed by a living organism. 
     
     
       5. The surgical instrument for ligating and dividing in accordance with claim 3 wherein said cutting blade is adapted to move along a path and said safety means comprises stop means normally disposed in the path of said cutting blade for inhibiting operation thereof unless a ligature is present at the dispensing location of each of said channels respectively. 
     
     
       6. The surgical instrument for ligating and dividing in accordance with claim 5 wherein said stop means is substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by the path of said cutting blade. 
     
     
       7. The surgical instrument for ligating and dividing in accordance with claim 5 wherein said safety means comprises: (i) a base having a first extremity and a second extremity;   (ii) a first leg being operatively connected at one end thereof to the first extremity of said base, the other end of said leg being connected to a first stop member normally disposed in the path of said cutting blade;   (iii) a second leg oppositely and symmetrically disposed relative to said first leg and being operatively connected at one end thereof to the second extremity of said base, the other end of said leg being connected to a second stop member normally disposed in the path of said cutting blade; and   (iv) each of said legs being disposed proximate the dispensing location of each of said channels respectively and operatively associated therewith so that a ligature at the dispensing location of the associated channel contacts and deflects the associated leg and thereby deflects the associated stop member from the path of said cutting blade.   
     
     
       8. Misfeed detection apparatus for use in a surgical instrument adapted to dispense ligatures and divide tissue, the surgical instrument containing ligatures and having a longitudinal axis, two spaced apart channels each containing a respective portion of said ligatures and having a dispensing location from which said ligatures are dispensed, and a knife blade mounted intermediate said channels for movement along the longitudinal axis of the instrument, the improvement comprising: (a) a first arm operatively connected to the dispensing location of the first of the channels, said first arm being contacted and deflected by a ligature disposed at the dispensing location of the first channel;   (b) a second arm operatively connected to the dispensing location of the second of the channels, said second arm being contacted and deflected by a ligature disposed at the dispensing location of the second channel;   (c) a first flag mounted on the first arm disposed directly in the path of the knife blade and substantially perpendicular thereto unless the first arm is deflected by a ligature in the first channel so that the absence of a ligature in the first channel results in the disabling of the knife blade; and   (d) a second flag mounted on the second arm disposed directly in the path of the knife blade and substantially perpendicular thereto unless the second arm is deflected by a ligature in the second channel so that the absence of a ligature in the second channel results in the disabling of the knife blade.   
     
     
       9. The misfeed detection apparatus in accordance with claim 8 wherein said ligatures are absorbable by the body. 
     
     
       10. In a surgical occluding and cutting instrument having ligature storage and dispensing means, movable tissue cutting means for dividing body tissue and tissue restraining means operatively connected to the cutting means, a safety device comprising: (a) ligature detecting means operatively connected to said ligature storage and dispensing means for determining whether a ligature is present therein; and   (b) movable interposer means operatively connected to said ligature detecting means and disposed intermediate said tissue restraining means and said cutting means for allowing movement thereof only when a ligature is detected in said ligature storage and dispensing means.   
     
     
       11. The safety device in accordance with claim 10 wherein said safety device further comprises: (c) ligature misfeed detecting means operatively connected to said ligature storage and dispensing means for determining whether a ligature is misfed therefrom.   
     
     
       12. The safety device in accordance with claim 10 or 11 wherein said cutting means comprises a knife blade. 
     
     
       13. The safety device in accordance with claim 10 or 11 wherein said ligature is absorbable by the body. 
     
     
       14. The safety device in accordance with claim 10 wherein said movable interposer means engages the distal-most end of said cutting means when no ligature is detected in said ligature storage and dispensing means. 
     
     
       15. The safety device in accordance with claim 11 wherein said movable interposer means engages the distal-most end of said cutting means when a ligature misfeed is detected by said ligature misfeed detecting means.